Method for making housing

ABSTRACT

A method of making a housing includes: providing a metal base, the metal base having an internal surface. Placing the metal base into a mold, liquid non-conductive material covering at least a portion of the internal surface of the metal base to form a non-conductive member at the at least a portion of the metal base. Cutting the metal base corresponding to the at least a portion of the metal base to form at least one gap, the non-conductive member being formed on a bottom of the gap. Placing one dielectric member in one corresponding gap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division application of U.S. patent applicationentitled “HOUSING, ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE SAME, AND METHOD FORMAKING THE SAME” with application Ser. No. 14/607,500, filed on Jan. 28,2015 and having the same assignee as the instant application.

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No.201410570054.1 filed on Oct. 23, 2014, and claims priority to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/607,500, filed on Jan. 28, 2015, thecontents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

The subject matter herein generally relates to a housing, an electronicdevice using the housing, and a method for making the housing.

BACKGROUND

Metal housings are widely used for electronic devices such as mobilephones or personal digital assistants (PDAs). Antennas are alsoimportant components in electronic devices. But the signal of theantenna located in the metal housing is often shield by the metalhousing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by wayof example only, with reference to the attached figures.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an electronic device, according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a housing of the electronic device shownin FIG. 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2, but shown from another angle.

FIG. 4 is an exploded, isometric view of the housing shown in FIG. 2,according to the first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4, but shown from another angle.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the housing along line VI-VI of FIG.2.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a housing according to a second exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 8 is an exploded, isometric view of the housing shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the housing along line X-X of FIG.7.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a housing according to a third exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the housing along line XII-XII ofFIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an isometric view of a housing according to a fourthexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the housing along line XIII-XIII ofFIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a flow chart of a method for making a housing in accordancewith a first exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 15 is another flow chart of a method for making a housing inaccordance with a second exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among thedifferent figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Inaddition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, itwill be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that theembodiments described herein can be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, methods, procedures and components have notbeen described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevantfeature being described. Also, the description is not to be consideredas limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawingsare not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may beexaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the presentdisclosure.

The term “comprising” when utilized, means “including, but notnecessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusionor membership in the so-described combination, group, series and thelike. The term “coupled” when utilized, means “either a directelectrical connection between the things that are connected, or anindirect connection through one or more passive or active intermediarydevices, but not necessarily limited to”.

FIG. 1 illustrates an electronic device 100 according to an exemplaryembodiment. The electronic device 100 can be, but not limited to, amobile phone, a personal digital assistant or a tablet computer. Theelectronic device 100 includes a body 10, a housing 30 assembled to thebody 10, and an antenna 50 located inside the housing 30.

The body 10 can have a printed circuit board (PCB, not shown) and abattery (not shown) electronically connected with the PCB. The batterycan charge the electronic device 100.

Referring to FIGS. 2-5, in one exemplary embodiment, the housing 30 is aback cover of the electronic device 100. The housing 30 can include ametal base 31 and a non-conductive member 33, a dielectric member 35received in the metal base 31, and a protective layer (not shown) formedon the metal base 31.

In at least one embodiment, the metal base 31 can be coupled with theantenna 50, such that the metal base 31 is used as a part of an antennaassembly of the electronic device 100. In alternative embodiments, themetal base 31 is not coupled with the antenna 50, such that the metalbase 31 is not used as a part of the antenna assembly of the electronicdevice 100.

The metal base 31 includes an internal surface 311 and an outer surface313 opposite to the internal surface 311. In at least one exemplaryembodiment, a thickness of the metal base 31 is less than 0.5 mm,preferably, the thickness of the metal base is about 0.3 mm to about 0.5mm. The non-conductive member 33 can directly cover at least a portionof the internal surface 311.

It is to be understood, the location, shape and dimension of the portionof the internal surface 311 covered with the non-conductive member 33can be designed according to that of the housing 30.

The metal base 31 can be made of metal which can be selected from agroup consisting of aluminium, aluminium alloy, magnesium, magnesiumalloy, titanium, titanium alloy, copper and copper alloy.

Referring to FIG. 6, sections of a portion of the metal base 31 are cutoff to form at least one gap 315. The dielectric member 35 can becompletely received in the gap 315. The non-conductive member 33 can belocated at a bottom of the at least one gap 315. The antenna 50corresponds to the at least one gap 315, the dielectric member 35 andthe non-conductive member 33, such that signal of the antenna 50 canpass through the gap 315 to have a high radiation efficiency.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the at least one gap 315 includesa plurality of gaps 315, and the metal base 31 is spaced by the gaps315, forming a plurality of metal sheets 317 and at least one main body319. The location of the metal sheets 317 and the at least one main body319 does not move, because the metal sheets 317 and the at least onemain body 319 are bonded with the non-conductive member 33, such thatthe housing 30 has high dimensional accuracy. Each metal sheet 317 has awidth of about 0.15 mm to about 1.0 mm along a direction from anadjacent dielectric member 35 located at one side of the metal sheet 317to another adjacent dielectric member 35 located at the opposite side ofthe metal sheet 317. Each gap 315 and each dielectric member 35 have awidth of about 0.02 mm to about 0.7 mm along a direction from anadjacent dielectric member 35 located at one side of the metal sheet 317to another adjacent dielectric member 35 located at the opposite side ofthe metal sheet 317.

Referring to FIGS. 4-6, in at least one exemplary embodiment, the metalbase 31 is spaced by the gaps 315, forming a plurality of metal sheets317 and two main bodies 319. Each gap 315 can run through the twoopposite ends of the metal base 31 along a direction of the metal sheets319 parallel to the main body 319.

The non-conductive member 33 can be made of a thermoplastic, athermosetting plastic, a ceramic, or other non-conductive materials.

The thermoplastic can be selected from a group consisting ofpolybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyether ether ketone (PEEK),polycarbonate (PC) and polyvinyl chloride polymer (PVC). Thethermosetting plastic can be selected from a group consisting of apolyurethane resin, an epoxy, and a polyurea resin.

The dielectric member 35 can be bonded with the non-conductive member33, and completely received in the at least one gap 315 to bond themetal sheets 317 with the at least one main body 319. That is, thedielectric member 35 is completely filled within each gap 315. The mainbody 319 is disconnected from the metal sheet 317 adjacent to the mainportion 310. In addition, each two adjacent metal sheets 317 areelectrically isolated to each other by one dielectric member 35 locatedbetween the two metal sheets 317. The signal of the antenna 50 can passthrough the dielectric member 35, such that the antenna 50 has a highradiation efficiency.

The dielectric member 35 can be made of dielectric material, such asresin, rubber, ceramic, and so on.

The resin can be made of a thermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic. Thethermoplastic can be selected from a group consisting of polybutyleneterephthalate (PBT), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polycarbonate (PC)and polyvinyl chloride polymer (PVC). The thermosetting plastic can beselected from a group consisting of an epoxy, and a polyurea resin, anda UV-curing adhesive. The UV-curing adhesive can be acrylic resin orpolyurethane.

The protective layer (not shown) can be formed by an anodic oxidationcoloring process, a spraying process or an electrophoresis process. Theprotective layer can have a thickness of about 10 μm to about 15 μm andcover the internal surface 311 and the outer surface 311 of the metalbase 31.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a housing 40 according to a second exemplaryembodiment. The difference between the housing 40 of the secondexemplary embodiment and the housing 30 of the first exemplaryembodiment is that the metal base 41 is spaced by the gaps 415, forminga plurality of metal sheets 417 and one main body 419. The gaps 415 arepositioned within the metal base 41. And the gaps 415 cannot run throughat least one end of the metal base 41 along a direction of the metalsheets 419 parallel to the main body 419.

FIGS. 10-11 illustrate a housing 50 according to a third exemplaryembodiment. The difference between the housing 50 of the third exemplaryembodiment and the housing 30 of the first exemplary embodiment is thata thickness of the metal base 51 is more than 0.5 mm. Preferably, thethickness of the metal base 51 is about 0.8 mm to about 1.0 mm. Sectionsof a portion of an internal surface 511 of the metal base 51 can bethinned to form a groove 5111 by a thinning process. A non-conductivemember 53 can be received in the groove 5111. The thickness of the metalbase 51 corresponding to the groove 5111 can be about 0.3 mm to about0.5 mm. The thinning process can be carried out by a computer numbercontrol technology (CNC). It is to be understood that the non-conductivemember 53 can also cover a periphery of groove 5111 to enhance thebonding strength between the non-conductive member 53 and the metal base51.

FIGS. 12-13 illustrate a housing 60 according to a fourth exemplaryembodiment. The difference between the housing 60 of the fourthexemplary embodiment and the housing 40 of the second exemplaryembodiment is that a thickness of the metal base 61 is more than 0.5 mm.Preferably, the thickness of the metal base 61 is about 0.8 mm to about1.0 mm. Sections of a portion of an internal surface 611 can be thinnedto form a groove 6111 by a thinning process. Non-conductive member 63can be received in the groove 6111. A thickness of the metal base 61corresponding to the groove 6111 can be about 0.3 mm to about 0.5 mm.The thinning process can be carried out by a CNC technology. It is to beunderstood that the non-conductive member 63 can also cover a peripheryof groove 6111 to enhance the bonding strength between thenon-conductive member 63 and the metal base 61.

Referring to FIG. 14, a flowchart is presented in accordance with anexample embodiment. The method 1400 is provided by way of example, asthere are a variety of ways to carry out the method. The method 1400described below can be carried out using the configurations illustratedin FIGS. 1-6, for example, and various elements of these figures arereferenced in explaining method 1400. Each block shown in FIG. 14represents one or more processes, methods or subroutines, carried out inthe method 1400. Furthermore, the order of blocks is illustrative onlyand the order of the blocks can change according to the presentdisclosure. Additional blocks may be added or fewer blocks may beutilized, without departing from this disclosure. The method 1400 formaking the housing 30 can begin at block 1401.

At block 1401, a metal base 31 is provided. The metal base 31 has aninternal surface 311 and an outer surface 313 opposite to the internalsurface 311. In at least one exemplary embodiment, a thickness of themetal base is less than 0.5 mm. Preferably, the thickness of the metalbase is about 0.3 mm to about 0.5 mm.

The metal base 31 can be made by casting, punching, or CNC. The metalbase 31 having a desired three dimensional shape is provided. The metalbase 31 can be made of metal which can be selected from a groupconsisting of aluminium, aluminium alloy, magnesium, magnesium alloy,titanium, titanium alloy, copper and copper alloy.

At block 1402, the metal base 31 is degreased. The degreasing processmay include ultrasonic cleaning the metal base 31 in absolute ethanolfor about 25 minutes to about 35 minutes to remove oil stain coated onthe metal base 31.

At block 1403, the metal base 31 is put into a mold (not shown) to forma non-conductive member 33 on an internal surface of the metal base 31.The injection temperature is about 290° C. to about 320° C., and theinjection pressure is about 2 MPa to about 4 MPa. Liquid resin can befilled into the mold and cover at least a portion of the internalsurface 311 of the metal base 31, forming the non-conductive member 31.

It is to be understood that the non-conductive member 33 can be formedby a conventional injection process, and also can be formed by a nanomold technology (NMT).

NMT can be carried out by surface treating the metal base 31 to form aplurality of nano-pores (not shown) having a diameter of about 10 nm toabout 300 nm on the internal surface 311, such that the internal surface311 can have a surface roughness of about 0.1 μm to about 1 μm. Thesurface treatment can be an electrochemical etching process, a dippingprocess, an anodic oxidation treatment or a chemical etching process.Then, the metal base 31 having nano-pores is put into a mold (notshown), and liquid resin is filled into the mold and cover at least aportion of the internal surface 311 of the metal base 31, forming thenon-conductive member 33.

The resin for making the non-conductive member 33 can be a thermoplasticor a thermosetting plastic. The thermoplastic can be selected from agroup consisting of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyphenylenesulfide (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyether ether ketone(PEEK), polycarbonate (PC) and polyvinyl chloride polymer (PVC). Thethermosetting plastic can be selected from a group consisting of apolyurethane resin, an epoxy, and a polyurea resin.

It is to be understood that the non-conductive member 33 can also bemade of ceramic, or other non-conductive materials

At block 1404, sections of a portion of the metal base 31 correspondingto the non-conductive member 33 are cut off from the outer surface 313to form at least one gap 315, and the metal base 31 can be spaced by atleast one gap 315, forming at least one metal sheet 317 and at least onemain body 319. The non-conductive member 33 is located at the bottom ofthe gap 315. The metal base 31 can be cut off by a laser cutting processor a CNC process.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the metal base 31 is spaced by theat least one gap 315, forming a plurality of metal sheets 317 and twomain bodies 319. The gaps 315 can run through the two opposite ends ofthe metal base 31.

At block 1405, each gap 315 is completely filled with a dielectricmember 35. Then, the main body 319 is disconnected from the metal sheet317 adjacent to the main portion 310. In addition, each two adjacentmetal sheets 317 are electrically isolated to each other by onedielectric member 35 located between the two metal sheets 317. Thedielectric member 35 can be made of a dielectric material, such as aresin, a rubber, a ceramic, and so on. The resin can be made of athermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic. The thermoplastic can beselected from a group consisting of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyetherether ketone (PEEK), polycarbonate (PC) and polyvinyl chloride polymer(PVC). The thermosetting plastic can be selected from a group consistingof an epoxy, and a polyurea resin, and a UV-curing adhesive.

The dielectric member 35 can be formed by any of the following threemethods:

In a first method, after filling a UV-curing adhesive into the gaps 315,the UV-curing adhesive is cured by a UV irradiation process to form thedielectric members 35 located in the gaps 315. The UV-curing adhesivecan be an acrylic resin or a polyurethane resin.

In a second method, the metal base 31 is put into a mold (not shown).The injection temperature can be about 290° C. to about 320° C., and theinjection pressure can be about 2 MPa to about 4 MPa. Liquid resin canbe completely filled into the gaps 315, forming the dielectric members35.

In a third method, the dielectric members 35 are formed by NMT.

The NMT is carried out by surface treating the metal base 31, the metalsheets 317 and the main bodies 319 to form a plurality of nano-pores(not shown) having a diameter of about 10 nm to about 300 nm on themetal base 31, metal sheets 317 and the main bodies 319. The surfacetreating method can be an electrochemical etching process, a dippingprocess, an anodic oxidation treatment or a chemical etching process.Then, the metal base 31, the metal sheets 317 and the main bodies 319having nano-pores are put into a mold (not shown), and liquid resin iscompletely filled into the gaps 315 between each two adjacent metalsheets 317, the main bodies 319 and the metal sheets 317 adjacent themain bodies 319, forming the dielectric member 35

The gaps 315 and the dielectric member 35 both have a width of about0.02 mm to about 0.7 mm along a direction from an adjacent dielectricmember 35 located at one side of the metal sheet 317 to another adjacentdielectric member 35 located at the opposite side of the metal sheet317. Each metal sheet 317 has a width of about 0.15 mm to about 1.0 mmalong a direction from an adjacent dielectric member 35 located at oneside of the metal sheet 317 to another adjacent dielectric member 35located at the opposite side of the metal sheet 317.

At block 1406, a protective layer (not shown) having a thickness ofabout 10 μm to about 15 μm is formed on the surface of the metal base31. The protective layer can be formed by any of the following threemethods:

In a first method, the protective layer is formed by an anodic oxidationcoloring process. The anodic oxidation coloring process is carried outin a sulphuric acid solution having a concentration of about 160 g/L toabout 220 g/L, with the metal base 31 being an anode, and a stainlesssteel board or a lead plate being a cathode. The voltage between theanode and the cathode is about 10 V to about 15 V. The temperature ofthe sulphuric acid is about 16° C. to about 18° C. The anodic oxidationcoloring process may last for about 30 minutes to about 45 minutes toform the protective layer having a thickness of about 10 μm to about 15μm. The protective layer has a plurality of pores (not shown). Then, themetal base 31 is dipped into a dyeing solution containing coloring agentat a temperature of about 30° C. to about 50° C. The coloring agent hasa concentration of about 3 g/L to about 10 g/L. The dipping time may beabout 1 minute to about 2 minutes. The coloring agent is absorbed intothe pores of the protective layer, such that the protective layer canhave color. The coloring agent is a dark organic coloring agent or adark inorganic coloring agent. The protective layer containing coloringagent should be sealed to fix the coloring agent in the pores. Thesealing treatment can be a boiling water sealing process, a steamsealing process, a nickel acetate sealing process, a potassiumdichromate sealing process, a nickel sulfate sealing process, stearicacid sealing process, or a cold sealing process.

In a second method, the protective layer is formed by an electrophoresisprocess. The electrophoresis process is carried out in anelectrophoresis solution at a temperature of about 30° C. to about 35°C., with the metal base 31 being an anode, and a stainless steel boardor a lead plate being a cathode. The voltage between the anode and thecathode is about 70 V to about 90 V. The electrophoresis process maylast for about 20 seconds to about 44 seconds to form the protectivelayer having a thickness of about 10 μm to about 15 μm. Theelectrophoresis solution includes electrophoresis paint and water with avolume ratio of about 3-5:4-6. The electrophoresis paint can be an epoxyelectrophoresis paint. The main chain of the epoxy electrophoresis paintcan have polyether and dual alcohol, polyether and dual amine, orpolyester and dual alcohol.

It is to be understood that the protective layer formed by theelectrophoresis process or the anodic oxidation coloring process cancover an area of the metal base 31. As the width of the dielectricmember 35 is very small, it is hard to find out the dielectric member 35located in the metal base 31, such that the housing 30 can have anentire metallic appearance.

In a third method, the protective layer is formed by spraying paint ontothe surface of the metal base 31 by a spraying gun (not shown). Then,the metal base 31 is put in a dryer to be backed, such that theprotective layer having a thickness of about 10 μm to about 15 μm isformed on the entail surface of the metal base 31. As the paint cancover the entire surface of the metal base 31 and the dielectric member35, the metal base 31 can have an entire metallic appearance.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a housing 40 according to a second exemplaryembodiment. The difference between the method of the second exemplaryembodiment and the method of the first exemplary embodiment is that themetal base 41 is spaced by gaps 415, forming a plurality of metal sheets417 and one main body 419. The gaps 415 can be positioned within themetal base 41. And the gaps 415 cannot run through at least one end ofthe metal base 41 along a direction of the metal sheets 419 parallel tothe main body 419.

Referring to FIG. 15, a flowchart is presented according to anotherexemplary embodiment. The method 1500 is provided by way of example, asthere are a variety of ways to carry out the method. The method 1500described below can be carried out using the configurations illustratedin FIGS. 10-11, for example, and various elements of these figures arereferenced in explaining method 1500. Each block shown in FIG. 15represents one or more processes, methods or subroutines, carried out inthe method 1500. Furthermore, the order of blocks is illustrative onlyand the order of the blocks can change according to the presentdisclosure. Additional blocks may be added or fewer blocks may beutilized, without departing from this disclosure. The method 1500 formaking the housing 50 can begin at block 1501.

At block 1501, a metal base 51 is provided. The metal base 51 has aninternal surface 511 and an outer surface 513 opposite to the internalsurface 511. In at least one exemplary embodiment, a thickness of themetal base 51 is less than 0.5 mm. Preferably, the thickness of themetal base 51 is about 0.3 mm to about 0.5 mm. A thickness of the metalbase 51 is more than 0.5 mm. Preferably, the thickness of the metal base51 is about 0.8 mm to about 1.0 mm.

The metal base 51 can be made by casting, punching, or CNC. The metalbase 51 having a desired three dimensional shape is provided. The metalbase 51 can be made of a metal which can be selected from a groupconsisting of aluminium, aluminium alloy, magnesium, magnesium alloy,titanium, titanium alloy, copper and copper alloy.

At block 1502, the metal base 51 is degreased. The degreasing processmay include ultrasonic cleaning the metal base 51 in absolute ethanolfor about 25 minutes to about 35 minutes to remove oil stain coated onthe metal base 51.

At block 1503, a groove 5111 is formed on the metal base 51 by athinning process. The thickness of the metal base 51 corresponding tothe groove 5111 can be about 0.3 mm to about 0.5 mm. The thinningprocess can be carried out by a CNC technology.

At block 1504, the metal base 51 is put into a mold (not shown) to forma non-conductive member 53 on an internal surface of the metal base 51,the non-conductive member 53 can be received in the groove 5111. Theinjection temperature is about 290° C. to about 320° C., and theinjection pressure is about 2 MPa to about 4 MPa. Liquid resin can befilled into the mold and cover at least a portion of the internalsurface 511 of the metal base 51, forming the non-conductive member 51.

It is to be understood, the non-conductive member 53 can also cover aperiphery of groove 5111 to enhance the bonding strength between thenon-conductive member 53 and the metal base 51.

It is to be understood that the non-conductive member 53 can be formedby a conventional injection process, and also can be formed by a nanomold technology (NMT) as illustrated in block 1403.

At block 1505, sections of a portion of the metal base 51 correspondingto the non-conductive member 53 are cut off from the outer surface 513to form at least one gap 515, and the metal base 51 can be spaced by atleast one gap 515, forming at least one metal sheet 517 and at least onemain body 519. The non-conductive member 53 is located at the bottom ofthe gap 515. The metal base 51 can be cut off by a laser cutting processor a CNC process.

In at least one exemplary embodiment, the metal base 51 is spaced by theat least one gap 515, forming a plurality of metal sheets 517 and twomain bodies 519. The gaps 515 can run through the two opposite ends ofthe metal base 51.

At block 1506, each gap 515 is completely filled with a dielectricmember 55. Then, the main body 319 is disconnected from the metal sheet317 adjacent to the main portion 310. In addition, each two adjacentmetal sheets 317 are electrically isolated to each other by onedielectric member 35 located between the two metal sheets 317. Thedielectric member 55 can be made of a dielectric material, such as aresin, a rubber, a ceramic, and so on. The resin can be made of athermoplastic or a thermosetting plastic. The thermoplastic can beselected from a group consisting of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyetherether ketone (PEEK), polycarbonate (PC) and polyvinyl chloride polymer(PVC). The thermosetting plastic can be selected from a group consistingof an epoxy, and a polyurea resin, and a UV-curing adhesive.

The dielectric member 55 can be formed by any of the following threemethods:

In a first method, after filling a UV-curing adhesive into the gaps 515,the UV-curing adhesive is cured by a UV irradiation process to form thedielectric members 55 located in the gaps 515. The UV-curing adhesivecan be an acrylic resin or a polyurethane resin.

In a second method, the metal base 51 is put into a mold (not shown).The injection temperature can be about 290° C. to about 320° C., and theinjection pressure can be about 2 MPa to about 4 MPa. Liquid resin canbe completely filled into the gaps 515, forming the dielectric members55.

In a third method, the dielectric members 55 are formed by NMT.

The NMT is carried out by surface treating the metal base 51, the metalsheets 517 and the main bodies 519 to form a plurality of nano-pores(not shown) having a diameter of about 10 nm to about 300 nm on themetal base 51, metal sheets 517 and the main bodies 519. The surfacetreating method can be an electrochemical etching process, a dippingprocess, an anodic oxidation treatment or a chemical etching process.Then, the metal base 51, the metal sheets 517 and the main bodies 519having nano-pores are put into a mold (not shown), and liquid resin iscompletely filled into the gaps 515 between each two adjacent metalsheets 517, the main bodies 519 and the metal sheets 517 adjacent themain bodies 519, forming the dielectric member 55.

The gaps 515 and the dielectric member 55 both have a width of about0.02 mm to about 0.7 mm along a direction from an adjacent dielectricmember 55 located at one side of the metal sheet 517 to another adjacentdielectric member 55 located at the opposite side of the metal sheet517. Each metal sheet 517 has a width of about 0.15 mm to about 1.0 mmalong a direction from an adjacent dielectric member 55 located at oneside of the metal sheet 517 to another adjacent dielectric member 55located at the opposite side of the metal sheet 517.

At block 1507, a protective layer (not shown) having a thickness ofabout 10 μm to about 15 μm is formed on the surface of the metal base51. The protective layer can be formed by any of the following threemethods:

In a first method, the protective layer is formed by an anodic oxidationcoloring process. The anodic oxidation coloring process is carried outin a sulphuric acid solution having a concentration of about 160 g/L toabout 220 g/L, with the metal base 51 being an anode, and a stainlesssteel board or a lead plate being a cathode. The voltage between theanode and the cathode is about 10 V to about 15 V. The temperature ofthe sulphuric acid is about 16° C. to about 18° C. The anodic oxidationcoloring process may last for about 30 minutes to about 45 minutes toform the protective layer having a thickness of about 10 μm to about 15μm. The protective layer has a plurality of pores (not shown). Then, themetal base 51 is dipped into a dyeing solution containing coloring agentat a temperature of about 30° C. to about 50° C. The coloring agent hasa concentration of about 3 g/L to about 10 g/L. The dipping time may beabout 1 minute to about 2 minutes. The coloring agent is absorbed intothe pores of the protective layer, such that the protective layer canhave color. The coloring agent is a dark organic coloring agent or adark inorganic coloring agent. The protective layer containing coloringagent should be sealed to fix the coloring agent in the pores. Thesealing treatment can be a boiling water sealing process, a steamsealing process, a nickel acetate sealing process, a potassiumdichromate sealing process, a nickel sulfate sealing process, stearicacid sealing process, or a cold sealing process.

In a second method, the protective layer is formed by an electrophoresisprocess. The electrophoresis process is carried out in anelectrophoresis solution at a temperature of about 30° C. to about 35°C., with the metal base 51 being an anode, and a stainless steel boardor a lead plate being a cathode. The voltage between the anode and thecathode is about 70 V to about 90 V. The electrophoresis process maylast for about 20 seconds to about 44 seconds to form the protectivelayer having a thickness of about 10 μm to about 15 μm. Theelectrophoresis solution includes electrophoresis paint and water with avolume ratio of about 3-5:4-6. The electrophoresis paint can be an epoxyelectrophoresis paint. The main chain of the epoxy electrophoresis paintcan have polyether and dual alcohol, polyether and dual amine, orpolyester and dual alcohol.

It is to be understood that the protective layer formed by theelectrophoresis process or the anodic oxidation coloring process cancover an area of the metal base 51. As the width of the dielectricmember 55 is very small, it is hard to find out the dielectric member 55located in the metal base 51, such that the housing 50 can have anentire metallic appearance.

In a third method, the protective layer is formed by spraying paint ontothe surface of the metal base 51 by a spraying gun (not shown). Then,the metal base 51 is put in a dryer to be backed, such that theprotective layer having a thickness of about 10 μm to about 15 μm isformed on the entail surface of the metal base 51. As the paint cancover the entire surface of the metal base 51 and the dielectric member55, the metal base 51 can have an entire metallic appearance.

FIGS. 12-13 illustrate a housing 60 according to a fourth exemplaryembodiment. The difference between the method of the fourth exemplaryembodiment and the method of the second exemplary embodiment can be thata thickness of the metal base 61 is more than 0.5 mm. Preferably, thethickness of the metal base 31 is about 0.8 mm to about 1.0 mm, andsections of a portion of an internal surface 611 can be thinned to forma groove 6111 by a thinning process. A non-conductive member 63 can bereceived in the groove 3111. The thickness of the metal base 61corresponding to the groove 6111 is about 0.3 mm to about 0.5 mm. Thethinning process can be carried out by a CNC technology. It is to beunderstood, the non-conductive member 63 can also cover a periphery ofgroove 6111 to enhance the bonding strength between the non-conductivemember 63 and the metal base 61.

It is to be understood, however, that even through numerouscharacteristics and advantages of the present disclosure have been setforth in the foregoing description, together with details of assemblyand function, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may bemade in detail, including in the matters of shape, size, and arrangementof parts within the principles of the disclosure to the full extentindicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which theappended claims are expressed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a housing comprising:providing a metal base, the metal base having an internal surface;placing the metal base into a mold, liquid non-conductive materialcovering at least a portion of the internal surface of the metal base toform a non-conductive member at the at least a portion of the metalbase; cutting the metal base corresponding to the at least a portion ofthe metal base to form at least one gap, the non-conductive member beingformed on a bottom of the gap; and placing one dielectric member in onecorresponding gap.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method ofmaking the housing further comprises a step of thinning the thickness ofat least a portion of the metal base by a thinning process before theforming of the non-conductive member to form a groove at the internalsurface of the metal base, the non-conductive member is received in thegroove.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method of making thehousing further includes a step of forming a protective layer on themetal base by a surface treating process after the forming thedielectric member, the dielectric layer has a thickness of 10 μm to 15μm.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dielectric member is connectedwith the non-conductive member.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein eachgap has a width of 0.02 mm to 0.7 mm along a direction from an adjacentdielectric member located at one side of a metal sheet to anotheradjacent dielectric member located at an opposite side of the metalsheet.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein each dielectric member has awidth of 0.02 mm to 0.7 mm along a direction from an adjacentnon-conductive member located at one side of a metal sheet to anotheradjacent non-conductive member located at an opposite side of the metalsheet.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein each metal sheet has a width of0.15 mm to 1.0 mm along a direction from an adjacent non-conductivemember located at one side of a metal sheet to another adjacentnon-conductive member located at an opposite side of the metal sheet. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the metal basecorresponding to the groove is 0.3 mm to 0.5 mm.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein the dielectric member is made of one of a resin, a rubber,and a ceramic.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal base is madeof the material selected from a group consisting of aluminium, aluminiumalloy, magnesium, magnesium alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, copper andcopper alloy.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-conductivemember is selected from a group consisting of polybutyleneterephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyethylene terephthalate,polyether ether ketone, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride polymer,polyurethane resin, epoxy, and polyurea resin.